Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday there are so-called "no-go" zones in European cities where police are hesitant to go because of the large Muslim presence there.
When pressed about his comments by CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Jindal, who was in London during Monday's interview, would not back down.
Citing a British newspaper report and information he's learned through talking to officials in London, Jindal said claims about "no-go" zones are true.
"Even today, in the Daily Mail, you had a local police chief admit that there are no-go zones here in London," Jindal said.
"Radical Islamists hate our values, they threaten our way of life, they don't appreciate, they don't condone, they don't allow freedom of expression and self-determination. Anybody that thinks you should be killed for drawing a cartoon is obviously a terrorist, is somebody that we need to hunt down, somebody that we need to get rid of in our societies."
Blitzer then asked for clarification regarding Jindal's statement about the "no-go" zones.
"These neighborhoods that you're talking about, these so-called 'no-go' zones, are they in London? Are they in Birmingham? Are they in other cities? Have you spoken to British law enforcement about this? What are they saying to you?" Blitzer asked.
"I've heard all day. We've met with elected officials and others. And again, a British police official, a local police chief, has made these comments in the local press," Jindal replied.
"It's not a surprise to folks here that there absolutely are areas where the police are less likely to go. There are areas where women feel like they have to wear veils. But Wolf, again, I think my critics are missing the bigger point. The bigger point is that radical Islam is absolutely a threat to our way of life. This is a group that we must hunt down and kill," Jindal said.
Blitzer followed up by asking if Jindal stood by his comments.
"So I just want to be precise, governor," Blitzer said. "You're not backing at all away from your comments about there being various so-called 'no-go' zones in the United Kingdom?"
"Not at all," Jindal said flatly. "And I'm also making a bigger and maybe even more controversial point that radical Islam is a grave threat. We need Muslim leaders to denounce the individuals, not just the acts of violence.
"And also, it is absolutely correct to insist on assimilation, to insist that people coming to our society, to our country, adopt our values, adopt our language, and understand they're coming to become Americans, or here, in this case, coming to become citizens of the U.K. Coming to become Europeans."
The
"no-go" zones have become controversial in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks two weeks ago.
Political economist Nicholas Eberstadt told Newsmax last week that terror cells could be hiding out in parts of cities where the police do not patrol.
"If I were trying to run a terror network in Europe, or an Islamist terror network in Europe, would I try to base it in areas where I thought I was not going to be observed or where I might have cover where people are afraid to go? I think the question kind of answers itself," Eberstadt said.
Jindal
discussed his European trip last week, saying he doesn't believe in "hyphenated Americans."
Jindal's parents brought him and his brother to the U.S. from India 45 years ago to "be Americans, not Indian-Americans ... If we wanted to be Indians, we would have stayed in India. It’s not that they are embarrassed to be from India. They love India. But they came to America because they were looking for greater opportunity and freedom."
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